I want a camera.

[frogatthefarriers]

I was almost late today. Another half second and I'd have been "The Late Frogatthefarriers". It was that close. A dirty great wagon that didn't stop to look properly before pulling out of a side road nearly did for me. My dinner would have come back out of both ends simulaneously. Squirt.

Happily I was paying attention -"Oh-oh, he's going a bit fast" - and had my fingers on the brakes, just in case. He stopped, almost, but thought better of it and scarpered. Now I know everyone makes a mistake when they're driving- me as much as anyone - but now I'm thinking that a record of how I came to a soggy end might be good for my family to have, so I'll be looking for some kind of camera.

Anybody have any experience to share? Cycling cameras seem to come in the range from disposable, to kidney-priced. I know you get what you pay for, sure, but how much gives a camera that's good enough? What should I be looking for?

[fatbikephil]

Well done for identifying and avoiding that situation, I always feel quite proud of myself when I avoid being squashed. These days, whether I'm on bike, motorbike or car, I won't go past a vehicle waiting at a junction unless I've got eye contact with the driver. I too am contemplating a camera - I have an older Garmin virb but its a bit of lump and fancy something a bit more discreet so I'll keep an eye on this thread.....

[Gummikuh]

The only thing is you need to ask yourself is what is it for? It will not protect you and can create a false sense of security.
I used a go-pro on my daily commute to work and was fine until my wife had a look and she was so shocked at the bad driving that she told me in no uncertain terms I was not to commute to work in winter.
If you want it for evidence to prosecute then it needs to be at least 4K to read number plates at speed. Some, but not all police forces will now accept this as evidence, but you will be lucky to hear anything back.
I no longer use mine for my commute, in the end it made me bitter to re-live the stupidity out there. Nothing will stop these idiots and unfortunately if your numbers up, no go-pro will stop that. Use it as a way of filming rides that you can watch again and smile.

[Dave Barter]

I submitted footage to the Devon police of a nasty close pass. They visited the driver and showed it him. He was genuinely shocked and asked to apologise in person. I declined as I’d have lost it. But I feel/hope he will be a little more careful in future. This was not 4k, fairly grainy footage on a Cyclic camera/light.

[Jurassic]

I've stopped commuting on main roads as I just don't feel comfortable with the level of risk and bad driving that seems to prevail. I'm sure things have got much worse since I was a die hard roadie about fifteen years ago (or maybe my risk threshold has changed with the passage of time). I make a conscious effort try to only ride quiet back roads, cycle paths or off road now in the hope that it'll stack the odds in my favour but I accept I may be kidding myself on.